John Mackey CEO Whole Foods

Live with Passion and Purpose

Edward Wexler-Beron

Background & Biography• Born & raised in

Houston• Didn’t graduate

college• Started pre-cursor to

WF in ‘78• Currently CEO of

Whole Foods ($1/yr salary)– Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the

Year– Esquire’s Most Inspiring CEO– Barron’s World’s Best CEOs

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Conscious Capitalism• Business grounded in evolved ethical

consciousness– Use of higher purpose, stakeholder

integration, conscious leadership, and conscious culture and management

– “Free market capitalism is one of the most powerful ideas we humans have ever had. But we can aspire to even more.”

• Application at Whole Foods– WF’s exec compensation cap, employee

healthcare– Supply chain– Whole Planet Foundation, Whole Cities

Foundation, Local Producer Loan Program

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Passion & Purpose: Connecting the personal with the professional• “The key point is that when you do something good with the

right motives, you make a lot of new and unanticipated connections. You become an 'attractor,' pulling people toward you who are doing similar things. This multiplies and extends what you set out to do in synergistic and serendipitous ways."

• Self-awareness essential to ensure we’re following our hearts (be real & authentic)

• “Authentic communication with honesty and integrity are essential attributes of both transparency and trust.” (act with integrity)

• Eastern philosophy, meditation, yoga, holotropic breathing (act with creativity)

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Connecting the Domains• Work & Self: believes that as a leader, if

psychologically/spiritually stuck, hinders growth prospects of company - meditates

• Self & Community: goes backpacking every summer with friends (initially requested sabbatical to hike Appalachian trail)

• Self & Family: does yoga with his wife• Community & Work: led establishment

of multiple efforts at WF to improve local, global communities

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What I’ve Learned

• Don’t abandon your values at work• Be authentic across all aspects of

your life• Stay curious• Follow what matters to you• Starts with self• Continual process of

learning, development (personally & professionally)

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“I very much believe in creating organizations and societies that are based upon transparency, honesty, authenticity, caring, innovation, and collaboration. Our planetary resources may be limited, but our human creativity is limitless.”

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